Coronavirus

School districts and communities are working on creating plans to improve student success and address the disrupted learning created by the COVID-19 pandemic. These plans could include a range of changes such as longer school years and additional tutoring, which could put a strain on teachers.

Gov. Mike DeWine (R-Ohio) is asking every school district in Ohio to come up with plans to elevate student success. DeWine says he wants a discussion between schools and communities on what can be done to help address issues students are facing during the pandemic.

President Joe Biden has said he doesn’t think an increase in the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour will pass in the latest COVID relief bill. But Ohio’s Democratic U.S. Senator says it needs to be passed somehow because it’s long overdue. 

Drug companies are about to start sending more doses of the COVID-19 vaccine to Ohio. But even with more shots, Gov. Mike DeWine (R-Ohio) says the state will hold eligibility at 65 years and older starting next week.

Ohio has marked an important milestone. For the first time during this pandemic, the Ohio Department of Health reports the number of people who have received at least one dose of COVID vaccine outnumbers the total number of cases reported. And that’s not the only positive indicator.

It is looking a little more likely that Ohio’s former health director, Dr. Amy Action, is seriously considering a run for US Senate next year. Acton has resigned as vice president of the Human:Kind initiative with the non-profit Columbus Foundation, a post that she’s held since August.

The crowd in an Ohio Senate committee room drew criticism for not observing social distance and not wearing masks. Some Democratic Senators voiced their frustration with the lack of COVID-related safety and one said the conditions forced him to leave the room. Now leadership says they're going to make changes.

Thousands of teachers and school staff around Ohio are getting their first round of the COVID-19 vaccine. Teachers who lined up to be among the first to get the shot say it's about personal responsibility to protect students and the community. 

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine and First Lady Fran DeWine got the first of their two Pfizer COVID 19 vaccine doses earlier today in Greene County, where they live. 

People around Ohio are lodging complaints about the state's unemployment compensation filing portal. Gov. Mike DeWine (R-Ohio) says an unprecedented influx of people applying for benefits continues to weigh down the system.

The state of Ohio says it's continuing to try and reach out into communities to increase vaccination among people of color. The number of Black people getting the vaccine compared to other race groups is disproportionately low.

Sen. Rob Portman (R-OH) is among the 10 Republican Senators who met with President Biden to talk about their COVID relief packages, though the Republicans' plan is a third the size of the one Democrats want. But Portman is hoping for more talks on those dueling deals.

More than 91,000 school teachers and staff around the state are now eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine. But some educators say they ran into slow and unresponsive system while trying to sign up for the shot.

If you are over 75 and qualify for a COVID vaccine in Ohio, you can go to the state’s coronavirus website and find places where they are being offered. But many Ohioans still find it difficult to get a shot scheduled. 

The number of jobless claims reported this week in Ohio was the highest since last spring, and more than a quarter of a million Ohioans are still out of work. While that’s half of the number at the height of the pandemic, experts say the economy is still struggling.

The state is preparing to distribute the first widespread round of COVID-19 vaccines to teachers and staff at K-12 schools. Gov. Mike DeWine says this accomplishes the goal of bringing back in-person instruction in March.

Thousands of Ohioans says they're struggling to file unemployment claims through the state's system that is slow and unresponsive. Gov. Mike DeWine (R-Ohio) says the state is doing a complete overhaul to address the issue.

Ohio’s funeral home directors are lobbying state leaders to be given priority in the COVID-19 vaccination plans.

More than half of nursing home workers have refused the vaccine but at least one Ohio nursing home is beating the odds.

A coalition of more than 100 unions and progressive advocacy groups is calling on state leaders to avoid making cuts to front-line workers serving Ohio’s communities during this pandemic.

State lawmakers are starting their new session with an issue that dominated much of last year – the governor’s power to issue health orders that legislators might not like.

Ohio’s k-12 schools will begin vaccinating their employees later this week. But the schedule for shot clinics is based on vaccine accessibility. 

1.7 million 1099-G tax forms will be mailed this month to Ohioans who got unemployment benefits – and to some that didn’t but are the victims of fraudulent claims. And Ohio's attorney general is concerned about that.

An investigation is under way after a vaccine provider in Columbus allowed nearly 900 COVID-19 shots to expire. The state says the provider didn't monitor the temperature of the vials.

Ohio’s unemployment system continues to be a challenge for thousands of Ohioans who say it is slow and non-responsive. And the system has needed some major updates. 

The transition from a Trump to Biden administration means changes for the nation's approach to the COVID-19 pandemic. Gov. Mike DeWine (R-Ohio) says there's one glaring issue the state needs help with moving forward.

The state is vaccinating people 80-years-old and up as part of the next phase of the immunization rollout. But a scarcity of the vaccine and distribution errors are causing challenges in Ohio.

The next shipment of COVID-19 vaccines to Ohio will fall well below how much is needed to immunize the next eligible group. The next shipment would only cover less than 25% of the recipients that qualify for the next phase.

The state is pushing forward with more COVID vaccinations with new age groups eligible in the next few weeks, even as some communities are saying the vaccine supply is inconsistent.

Ohio’s teachers and school employees are in the next group that will get the coronavirus vaccine starting February 1. And superintendents are signing pledges that they will return to either hybrid or in-person learning on March 1 as a condition of their workers getting the vaccine.